Understandably people have a lot of questions about food & beverage costs at the Park Hyatt Maldives, given that it’s a secluded resort where you’re literally captive — there are no options to dine off property.

All things considered I thought food & beverage prices at the Park Hyatt Maldives weren’t unreasonable.

The good news is that breakfast is included for most guests. Anyone on a stay paid with cash receives complimentary breakfast, along with Diamond members (that means only non-Diamond members on points stays don’t receive complimentary breakfast).

Breakfast is served in the hotel’s main restaurant, The Dining Room, which overlooks the pool. It has a nice terrace with more than a handful of tables, and then there’s more seating “inside” (though the whole restaurant is open air).

Park Hyatt Maldives The Dining Room restaurant

Park Hyatt Maldives view from in front of the restaurant

Park Hyatt Maldives The Dining Room restaurant

Park Hyatt Maldives The Dining Room restaurant

Breakfast at the Park Hyatt Maldives is served daily from 6:30AM until 11:30AM. I know many people are looking to minimize out of pocket costs staying here, in which case I know they often have breakfast very late, so that it’s more of a brunch, and then have something for dinner later on.

I didn’t plan it that way by design, but that’s usually how it worked out for me. I tried to sleep in as much as possible during my stay, and I wasn’t especially hungry for the rest of the day, probably due to the hot climate and the fact that I was just being lazy and lounging around.

Breakfast at the resort is really spectacular, though. It’s a la carte, though you can order as much as you’d like.

The breakfast menu read as follows:

The moment you sit down you’re brought a breakfast tray, which consisted of fresh fruit on the top level, tuna mashuni on the middle level, and pastries on the bottom level. The type of pastries on offer varied every morning. From there your drink order would be taken, and then a food order as well, whenever ready.

Park Hyatt Maldives breakfast tower

Park Hyatt Maldives breakfast tower — fresh fruit

Park Hyatt Maldives breakfast tower — tuna mashuni

Park Hyatt Maldives breakfast tower — pastries

The servers recommend ordering either a breakfast “set,” or three or so a la carte items. The size of the items on the menu varied significantly, so in some cases three items would be way too much.

I photographed just about everything my friends and I ate throughout the stay, and I think during that time we covered about the whole menu.

They have a variety of egg dishes, including eggs benedict, scrambled eggs, egg frittata, etc.

Park Hyatt Maldives breakfast — eggs benedict

Park Hyatt Maldives breakfast — egg white frittata

Then there were more continental options, including muesli, yogurt, cereal, etc.

Park Hyatt Maldives breakfast — bircher muesli

Park Hyatt Maldives breakfast — fruit yogurt

Park Hyatt Maldives breakfast — muesli

For those with more of a sweet tooth, they had waffles, crepes, and french toast (all of which were devilishly good).

Park Hyatt Maldives breakfast — golden brown waffle

Park Hyatt Maldives breakfast — vanilla crepes

Park Hyatt Maldives breakfast — french toast

Then there were a variety of Asian options. For what it’s worth, the hotel had a lot of Chinese guests, so their Chinese options were on point (though they also had other varieties of Asian cuisine).

Park Hyatt Maldives breakfast — pan fried pork and kimchi dumplings

Park Hyatt Maldives breakfast — egg noodle soup

Park Hyatt Maldives breakfast — Vietnamese noodle soup

But the tuna dishes were hands down my favorite, by a long shot. My mouth is watering as I write about them now.

As I mentioned above, tuna mashuni was always served as part of the “tower” you received when sitting down, though it’s also on the menu if you’d like more of it. I ordered it at least three times, as it was that good.

Park Hyatt Maldives breakfast — tuna mashuni

The Maldivian tuna curry was also exceptional. I had it all but one day.

Park Hyatt Maldives breakfast — Maldivian tuna curry

As far as service during breakfast goes, I’d say it was generally good. The staff did seem to be a bit overwhelmed during peak hours (most people seemed to eat after 9:30AM), though they were always friendly and well intentioned. Each guest has a “host,” so during breakfast the hosts would usually make the rounds to see what people had planned for the day, how everything was, etc. The (excellent) new general manager also came around during breakfast to say hi to everyone.

One of the other cool Diamond perks which the Park Hyatt offers is a complimentary evening happy hour between 5PM and 7PM at the hotel’s bar, located right across from the restaurant. It’s a fun area to sit, as it has a variety of seating options, from a swing of sorts, to comfortable couches.

Park Hyatt Maldives The Bar

Park Hyatt Maldives The Bar

It directly overlooks the pool on one side.

Park Hyatt Maldives view from The Bar

And it overlooks the beach on the other side (as luck would have it, it’s also the area of the beach with the best sunset views).

Park Hyatt Maldives view from The Bar

As a Diamond member you received one complimentary cocktail from the menu each evening, plus a tasting plate.

It really was lovely to sit at the bar for an hour or two and unwind, and just enjoy the slow pace of life at the resort. While I’m usually easily bored and was kind of worried about what I’d do at a secluded resort for almost a week, I learned to slow down my life, and by the end of my stay I quite enjoyed it.

Park Hyatt Maldives evening Diamond cocktails

Park Hyatt Maldives evening Diamond cocktail — pina colada

My favorite drink, no doubt, was the oriental iced tea. Mmmm!

Park Hyatt Maldives evening Diamond cocktail — oriental iced tea

Every night the tasting plate was different, and typically consisted of two savory options and one sweet option. The servers were spot on in describing every detail of each item they brought out.

Park Hyatt Maldives evening Diamond snacks

Park Hyatt Maldives evening Diamond snacks

Park Hyatt Maldives evening Diamond snacks

As I mentioned above, in many cases I just wasn’t very hungry at night, so literally just had breakfast, the Diamond cocktail hour, and then ordered something from the bar menu, like a mini pizza, which more than hit the spot.

Park Hyatt Maldives bar snacks

Park Hyatt Maldives bar snacks

A special shout out to Ashish at the bar, who was one of my favorite employees at the resort. He was friendly, good humored, and extremely attentive.

In the next installment I’ll talk more about the other dining options.

Park Hyatt Maldives breakfast bottom line

I was extremely impressed by breakfast at the Park Hyatt. Not only could you order as much as you wanted, but everything tasted top notch, especially the tuna dishes.

While the Diamond happy hour is limited to one drink per person, it was a very nice added perk, especially given the views from the bar area.

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About luckyBen Schlappig (aka Lucky) is a travel consultant, blogger, and avid points collector.
He travels about 400,000 miles a year, primarily using miles and points to fund his first class experiences.
He chronicles his adventures, along with industry news, here at One Mile At A Time.

“only non-Diamond members on points stays don’t receive complimentary breakfast” … do you realize that this covers something like 95% of your readership? The vast majority of us are not Hyatt Diamonds, nor are we in the price range to pay cash for this place. I’m not usually one to be indignant, but you do realize all that … right?

@ Luis — Appreciate the feedback, though for what it’s worth I know this is a property many are looking to visit, so I wanted to be as detailed as possible. Totally understand if it doesn’t interest you, in which case you can hopefully just skip the post. I don’t expect all my posts to be interesting to everyone, though hopefully I can at least make the post titles clear enough so people can quickly tell whether they want to read or not.

@ Andrew — Definitely not 95% of my readership. If the blog readers I ran into at the resort were any indication (there were about a dozen of them), virtually all of them were Diamond members on points stays. Anyway, I’m just stating facts, so not sure which part of it you take issue with, exactly?

I am going to this hotel 10 days on points and free nights and I had no status. I am completing the diamond challenge in 10 days and that will save me a lot of money. Thank you so much for your reviews and tips for this hotel! Keep them coming please!

how do they police the guests who are not entitled to free breakfast? i have been to similar resorts before and if you act confident you are supposed to get free breakfast, they do not question you… just sayin’. 😉

@ Jacques Lamoreaux — I’m not suggesting all my readers are Diamond. What I’m suggesting is that WAY more than 5% of my readers who do visit the Park Hyatt Maldives are Diamond. Regardless, I’m not sure I see the issue in the context of what I posted?

Thanks for the report – I’d agree with you about reasonability of pricing.

Based on the prices I saw (although I’d be interested in lunch/dinner prices, too), it doesn’t seem any more expensive than an upper-end resort on one of the Neighbor Islands in Hawaii.

I will pipe up and say that I stay with points with some regularity at various hotels, but don’t have top-tier elite status. I may be exceptional in that regard, but I’m betting that there’s a sample bias at work if you’re looking at travelers to the Maldives. By nature, if they’re not on a group package, I suspect they’re more likely to be high-end frequent flyers, because the Maldives are so freaking far away.

While I was curious about the breakfast price too, I would bet that most of the guests are eating “free” breakfast. With the amount of points that it takes to stay there, there’s bound to be mostly Diamonds redeeming points for stays and cash guests get “free” breakfast too.

Thanks Lucky for this detailed report. To all the naysayers, I enjoy this level of detail because it allows me to experience the trip vicariously to some degree. I am a Hyatt Diamond member with plenty of points, but between two conflicting work schedules and finding care for our young children, it’s unlikely we will be traveling to the Maldives anytime soon. For now, we’re just happy to get out of the house for an evening and trips with the children typically require a second vacation afterwards.

To be fair to Ben – I (a regular reader of this site) might consider staying here. I probably wouldn’t, much for the same reason that Ben initially gave i.e. I think that I would be a bit bored after a while (but might also feel a sense of panic that I couldn’t leave!) However if I were to spend the small fortune which it costs to stay here (I have no Hyatt status – they aren’t big in the UK nor is there a linked credit card here) which again I might do, I would want to know absolutely as much as possible in great detail about the hotel and its associated costs. So whilst it doesn’t currently appear in my travel plans, I am grateful for the review. It is exactly the sort of thing I look for on the net when I’m planning to part with hard earned cash.

@lucky are you saying for 30++ you can order ala carte anything and everything on the menu? haha that is quite a good deal.. I like the fact you do not have to deal with a buffet for 30++ that is a STEAL.

My first reaction was also to gently chide you for overkill in doing five reviews on one hotel. It feels like a marathon! But after reading your comments and those of others, I can appreciate other perspectives. I also want to complement you again on the quality of your blogging. I’ve been reading a lot of luxury travel blogs recently while doing some trip planning and yours is head and shoulders above any others I’ve found. I won’t name names! I AM looking forward to your upcoming Cathay business class reviews. I’d echo what some others have suggested – that you should consider slumming more often and flying in J, as that is often all that’s available to many of us without much flexibility in making and changing travel plans.

Lucky,
Thank you for such detailed trip report! To all the haters, if you don’t like the post or if you think it’s something that’s too far out of reach for ya, feel free to skip it. There are many of us here that appreciate the information and entertainment in reviews like these.
Whoever mentioned that 95% of the readers aren’t diamonds and will pay only with cash, maybe you could learn a few things from this blog by paying with C+P, perhaps pick up a status or two through your stay.

Question: does the diamond happy hour drink only allow for one drink/appetizer per room or do you get one for each registered guest to the diamond member’s room?

BTW, I found Ben’s comments about award staying Diamonds to be interesting from another perspective. It can’t be the case that Lucky spoke to every single guest who was staying on points. I really wonder what the percentage of guests on points is, and how profitable that hotel is?

Tom wrote:
“So for two people Hyatt Diamond is saving you $30×2 + $16×2 for the cocktails + tax and tip so let’s say about $120 a day. Not a bad return.”

I agree with the $30 x2 and $16 x2 and tax, but not tip. I stayed at the Hilton Bora Bora a couple years ago, and as Hilton Gold, I got free breakfast. I always tipped what I would’ve tipped had I paid for the breakfast. If you bypass tip just because your breakfast is free, well… that just sucks.

@Mike — I was there in mid-May. I’d say it’s VERY well maintained. Pretty immaculate actually. If you read TripAdvisor what people seem to complain about the most is…ants. On a tropical island. Go figure.

Thanks! I’ve been to quite a few resorts in Asia, some that have only been open for a year or two and look like they’ve been open for 10 years. Nice to know the PH knows how to maintain their hard product

I am not a Hyatt Diamond, but I read the blog all the same, and I have no issues with Lucky pointing out the perks of a Hyatt Diamond. In fact, I find that informative! And Lucky is stating a fact. A fact that Hyatt Diamonds get those perks. I cannot understand why Lucky should be faulted for that.

So read the Travis vs Nick debate on Hyatt Challenge, and weigh if Hyatt Diamond is worth the cost and trouble, or not. I have status in other chains at the moment and will not take the Hyatt Challenge in the near future, but indeed, if one were to be planning a Park Hyatt Maldives stay on points, and breakfast costing 30*2++ daily, the cost for breakfast for a week for a couple is nearly the cost of the Diamond Challenge, if one can do what Travis has proposed.

Finally, even though I am a reader that is not a Hyatt Diamond, I find nothing wrong with Lucky’s post, especially he is just stating a fact, that Diamond receives breakfast benefits.

Whether how many % of the readers are Diamonds are indeed irrelevant, and most importantly, if a post upsets you because you are not a Diamond, or AA Exec Plat (I am not one as well btw), then you should not be reading Lucky’s blog.

Sensible words @flyingfish – there seems to be an agenda by some to make out that Lucky is being snobby and is only interested in elites (and reporting for them) which is utter tosh. He’s just comprehensively giving out all the facts (Diamonds on points get free breakfast, other point stay patrons don’t).

Given that staying at this property is expensive, it makes sense to comprehesively cover all aspects of a stay in a trip report, so people can really figure out if it’s worth it to them. That’s just good reporting.

And I say this as someone, who after reading these reports, determined that this property doesn’t make much sense for me! Just because I ultimately decided it wasn’t a good match for me doesn’t mean I didn’t appreciate a comprehensive report on what a stay entails.

@ Dave — For what it’s worth, there is a service charge which is evenly distributed among employees. While you can certainly still tip at the end of the stay in cash, in practice there wasn’t really an opportunity to tip otherwise. In other words, there was nothing you could sign at breakfast, etc.

@ greg99 — Do keep in mind that in many cases Gold Passport is reimbursing the hotel at close to the average daily rate if the hotel is fairly full. So it’s possible that the hotel is partly profitable at the expense of Gold Passport.

@Dave, just let me echo Ben’s reply to you about tipping in non-U.S. locations. With few exceptions, it’s not required, or even appreciated! In Turkey when a colleague of mine wanted to leave a tip over and above the service charge, a local friend chided him, saying it furthered a stereotype of Americans as cluelessly imperialist and condescending. :^/ Seemed harsh, but I see the point.

Tipping in the U.S. is, of course, de rigeur, since hospitality staff are paid with tips in mind. But outside the U.S., even at American-branded properties, tipping is not necessary — and as Ben said, that’s the case even when there’s no bill because a meal is included in your rate.

@eric.w I agree it ‘spoils the market’ when people start to expect tips where it is traditionally not required. But even in the US, I would not tip for a club lounge, especially if it is a buffet, now if I am having an exceptionally good night and the drinks keep flowing or something to that effect, I might leave a tip. Or if it is ala carte for some reason in the club lounge I might leave a 5 or 10 dollar tip if the service was good.

I would most definitely not leave a tip wherever I go in the maldives for example, unless service is exceptional.

I do however always leave a $5 or equivalent tip whenever I have my room cleaned, That does not change, no matter where I am.

Hey Ben,
Always love your reports! Do you happen to know if this resort offers room service ? Part of being on vacation and picking certain ultra-high resorts ( for us) is the availability of room service.

Breakfast for Platinums were $73 US per couple (inclusive of 10% gratuity and GST), for up to 3 ala carte options. We ordered 1-2 ala carte options per person, then ordered a 3rd per person wrapped up for take-away, stored in room fridge which became lunch (Asian options travelled the best). Skipped (bland) dinners half the nights using this approach, as breakfast portions are quite large (all), and very tasty (esp. Asian). The resort could benefit from larger food variety and/or more preparation styles (e.g., grilled food, more seasonings).. Discussions for a new restaurant (possible occupying the closed-off, dilapidated pier beyond villa 51 are underway but no plans have been approved and available capital skeptical)

Hi Ben,
I for one is enjoying your very detailed report on your trip to Maldive, and stay at Park Hyatt. We are planning a 4 night stay in October using points for 2 nights, and my hubby’s 2 nights award certificate after applying for Hyatt credit card….awesome! I have Diamond status, and nice to know what perks to expect. Your blog is quite useful in planning & knowing what to expect. Based on your report, we may consider one night stay at OWV…on our last day? If we have a choice, would staying at OWV be best at the beginning, middle or end of our stay?

@ Lena — Thanks for the kind words, and I’m sure you’ll have a great stay. Assuming you’re not leaving early the last day, I would do an overwater villa for the last night. You don’t want it the first night, and ideally don’t want to move rooms twice, so don’t want it in the middle.

Thanks for your review. Would you please post the actual costs of the breakfast items? For example, if one does not want to pay the full buffet price of $37, but instead wants to order oatmeal, what is the cost?

if one just wants to order yogurt, what is that cost?

Maldivian Tuna Curry alone? What us that cost?

I think this is the kind of breakdown of breakfast costs most of us are looking for, please. Many of us don’t have an interest in paying $70 per couple for breakfast and would like to know the prices if we just wanted to order oatmeal or maldivian tuna curry alone. These individual costs are not listed on any of their menus.

A la Carte breakfast meals are between ~$16-30. Egg dishes are about $20ish, while oatmeals and porridges were closer to $16ish. Asian dishes were around $20-30ish. Real question though, who can’t afford $70 for breakfast for two?

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